Root sees funny side of Cook's groin agony

England captain Alastair Cook was forced off the field for nearly an hour on day two of the first Ashes Test after suffering an injury that would bring a tear to every man's eye. 

For several of his teammates, it was nearly tears of laughter.

Moments after taking a terrific catch at first slip to remove the dangerous David Warner for 17, Cook was laid low by a Steve Smith edge that fell short of the slips cordon and crashed into his genitals.

Video: Cook suffers painful blow (Australia only)

Cook was in immediate pain, writhing on the Cardiff turf as his teammates tried to cover up their childish giggles and call for assistance from the home dressing room.

Joe Root, England's vice-captain, was in stitches, covering his mouth while his skipper struggled to regain his breath and crawl to his knees.

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Cook is hit flush in the genitals // Wide World of Sport

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Cook writhes in agony on the Cardiff turf // Wide World of Sports

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Root struggles to contain his laughter // Wide World of Sport

After several minutes of self-assessment and reassurance, Cook regained his composure and signalled to the crowd at the Cathedral Road End with a wincing thumbs-up that he had sufficiently recovered and that all was where it should be.

But two balls (no pun intended) later and still in serious discomfort, Cook left the field to a warm and sympathetic applause from the fans in attendance, most notably the ones owning a Y chromosome.

And it was the man to his right who couldn't contain his laughter that was handed the reins as England continued to hunt for nine more Australian wickets on a benign pitch under clear skies the Welsh Capital.

Cook returned about 40 minutes later, sharing a wry laugh with spectators as he waited on the boundary line for a break in play to return to the field.

"I saw it pretty clearly actually. I was trying not to laugh," Chris Rogers said, who was at the non-striker's end when the Cook went down.

"Particularly when I saw Joe Root laugh I thought 'oh, he's ok.'

"But apparently it was a sickening sound, so we'll leave it at that."

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